Marcel Koller, the technical director of Swiss club Zurich, confirmed that he was on the verge of announcing his retirement from coaching following his tenure with Al-Ahly, noting that he later reconsidered that decision.
Koller had taken charge of Zurich at the start of the current season after reaching an agreement with the club several months ago; this marks his first coaching role since leaving Al-Ahly in April 2025.
In statements reported by Swiss outlet Blue News, Koller explained that after a successful career as both a player and a coach, he had believed that departing from Al-Ahly would be the final chapter of his managerial journey.
The Swiss coach added: "I turned 65 last November and officially reached retirement age, but during my time away from the pitch, I discovered that I still feel young."
He continued: "I decided to abandon a quiet retired life and gardening at home, opting instead to seek a new challenge in football by attempting to rebuild a team from scratch."
Zurich FC had suffered from instability in recent seasons, finishing last season in tenth place amid a lack of significant reinforcements to its squad.
Regarding the difference between his experiences with Al-Ahly and Zurich, Koller said: "It is a radical change for me... there is certainly no comparison between the two."
Concluding his remarks, Marcel Koller stated: "With Zurich, you simply play in front of 70,000 enthusiastic fans, whereas at Al-Ahly, nothing less than victory is accepted... even a draw meets with rejection."
